NSGP Executive Board

Ann Koplow, LICSW, CGP

President

Group psychotherapy is Ann’s passion and NSGP has fueled, illuminated, informed, and expanded this passion since she first connected with the organization in the 1990s.  During the twelve years when she was a clinician and then the director for a group-based psychiatric day treatment program, her contact with NSGP guided her growth as a group practitioner. Today, as Ann develops and facilitates open-access  groups at the Primary Care Practice at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, she continues to enhance her knowledge and skills at the yearly conference and through NSGP's other learning opportunities.  Ann notes that she is "... proud to serve as President of an organization that has meant so much to me, personally and professionally."

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Jenn DeSouza, MSW, LICSW, CGP

President-Elect

Jennifer DeSouza, MSW, LICSW, CGP received her Masters in Social Work from Boston College in 1999. Jennifer received her CGP in 2013 after completing the NSGP training program and she is currently participating in the Modern Psychoanalytic weekend training program at the Center for Group Studies in New York City. As an experienced social worker Jennifer has practiced in community mental health settings providing evaluation and treatment to individuals, families and groups. Jennifer currently manages the Group Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital where she also provides individual therapy and consultations referral and resource information to patients and families.

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  Guy R. Croteau, LICSW, CGP

  Treasurer

Guy R. Croteau is psychotherapist in private practice in Downtown Boston. He previously spent 7 years as a  staff clinician at Fenway Health where he led many group for the LGBTQ community and served on the multi disciplinary clinical team for Transgender Health. Guy completed a post masters program at Boston University for the assessment and treatment of trauma and works with individuals and couples for diverse communities. Guy is an active member of NSGP and has served on the NSGP Conference Registration committee for the past two year.

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Charlie , MSW, LICSW, CGP

Secretary

Charlie Glazier LICSW, CGP, first connected with NSGP when attending the summer conference in 1991. He worked in community mental health settings the first half of his career and then switched to private practice. He has an interest in working with human beings, but has lately become interested in working with dogs as well. He served on the Board 15 years ago and is happy to go another round, since all his best training experiences come from hanging out with others in the organization.   

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Yoko Hisano, MSW,LCSW

Yoko Hisano is a dedicated social worker with intercultural experience and training

in bridging the gap between cultures, people, and the larger systems. She received

her MSW from Smith College in Northampton, MA.  Prior to being a social worker, she worked as an international educator in higher education. She uses her skills working with elders at their end-of-life at a hospital in Boston and provides support to patients, family members, and colleagues. She is currently serving on the Membership Committee and enjoys getting to know new members. As a Board member, she is committed to creating more space for diversity among members that includes areas such as race, age, ability, immigration status, family structure, and socio-economic differences.

Directors

Mary Alicia Barnes, OTD

Mary Alicia Barnes, OT, OTD is a faculty member at Tufts University in the Department of Occupational Therapy where she teaches group theory in the entry level doctoral program and has been co-leading process training groups for many years. Her clinical practice (groups and individual work) was with children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral disorders in public and private hospitals. Mary has published and presented on topics related to group theory and practice nationally and internationally. Her research scholarship is related to therapeutic group leader training outcomes. Mary is a longtime member of NSGP and serves as the Conference Committee’s workshop committee co-chair and is currently co-leading the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force with Sasha Watkins, LMHC, CPRP.

Jeff Brand, Psy.D, CGP

Jeff Brand, Psy.D. CGP, is a staff psychologist at The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health and has a private practice in Brookline, MA. At the Brookline Center, he directs the adult group therapy program, including supervision, teaching, and program development, as well as providing clinical care for adults and adolescents in both individual and group therapy. In his private practice, he works with adults in both individual and group therapy, and with adolescents in individual therapy. Prior to joining the staff at The Brookline Center, he trained through Harvard Medical School by completing his internship at the Cambridge Health Alliance, and he previously worked as a drug & alcohol counselor. He has written about trauma and published articles about using concepts from group psychotherapy to understand sociopolitical phenomenon. He is also on the Training Committee of the Northeastern Society for Group        Psychotherapy. He enjoys being outside.

 

Melissa Kelly, LICSW

Melissa Kelly LICSW is a clinical social worker with a private practice in Cambridge, MA.  She has clinical training and experience in both psychodynamic therapy and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and enjoys applying both lenses in the treatment of individuals, adults and groups.  She is currently serving as co-chair of the NSGP Publicity and Marketing Committee and has previously been on the Conference Committee as the chair of Site.  In her spare time she likes to write and rock climb.

 

Rivkah Lapidus, PhD, LMHC, CGP

Rivkah Lapidus Ph.D. LMHC CGP has been a member of NSGP since the mid-1980s, ushered in by the charisma of the early Alonso-Rutan Observation Group at MGH.She has known our senior forebears, and is delighted to welcome a new generation.  She has had the pleasure of serving on a variety of task forces and committees over the years, such as the Conference Committee (twice) and the long defunct Forum Committee. The most rewarding was the Task Force on Increasing Diversity at NSGP in the 1990s. While she is on the Board she hopes to facilitate continued growth in this area.  Rivkah completed a doctoral degree at what is now the Fielding Graduate University. She has clinical and scholarly interest in the Harm Reduction Psychotherapy as a humane approach to substance use, and is a community activist in Somerville. She is also a painter and mixed-media artist.

Lesley McGee, MA, RYT-200

Lesley is a mental health counselor with a background in working at a partial hospital program, and who currently works in a college mental health setting. There she runs a general support group, a group for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, and a group for women around body image. She holds a broad range of clinical interests, which include but are not limited to trauma, anxiety, suicidality, group therapy, and identity exploration. Lesley’s approach to counseling is strengths-based and person-centered. Her primary mode of treatment is Acceptance Commitment Therapy. Additionally, she incorporates self-compassion, meditation, and art/music in her approach with clients. In July 2019 she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training.

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 Ann keren Neeman-Kantor, Psy.D.,       LICSW   

Dr. Neeman Kantor is a clinician with over 20 years of providing  individual and group psychotherapy, training and supervision.  In Israel she  served as a mental health officer in the IDF (Israel   Defense Forces), was head of the north county clinic for victims of  sexual assault and violence, was an active member of the Israel Professional Team for Emergency/disaster intervene, and worked with veterans and their spouses coping with PTSD in a variety of settings/organizations. Throughout her professional career, Ann keren dedicate her time to spreading her passion for group psychotherapy. Since moving to the U.S. with her family, she has completed her doctoral  with an emphasis on group psychotherapy and has written taught and presented nationally and internationally. Ann keren  is currently a faculty member of NSGP's Training Program, a Co-Chair of NSGP’s Breakfast Club and serves on the Conference Committee of both NSGP and of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA).     

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Ari Shesto, PhD

Dr. Shesto graduated from UMass Amherst with a PhD in Clinical Psychology in 1998 and, since then, had a rich and varied career as a psychotherapist, consultant and trainer. He affiliate with cognitive behavioral approach to treatment (CBT), as well as acceptance commitment therapy (ACT). As a CBT and ACT therapist, his approach is distinguished by forward-looking, positive, and goal-oriented, with the ultimate outcome of providing clients with a set of skills enriching their life.  Dr. Shesto has been a co-chair of the NSGP Breakfast Club for the past three years.